The abyss pulsed, unseen currents twisting through the air, shifting the ruined landscape around Kael as he stepped forward. The presence before him—neither human nor fully void—stood unmoving, watching, waiting. The Deva had found him.
But what had drawn them here? His power? His existence? Or something far deeper?
Kael exhaled, steadying his breath. His heart was calm—not with certainty, but with expectation. The Abyss had always whispered to him, guiding him through battles, pulling him toward something beyond ordinary wielders. And now, for the first time, he stood before those who might hold the answer.
The lead figure, energy shifting across his translucent form, raised a hand. His voice did not carry through sound—it resonated through Abyssal Flow itself, pulsing through Kael's Void Anchor like an unspoken truth.
"You stand at the edge of understanding," the figure murmured. "But you do not yet know what it is you seek."
Kael frowned. "I seek mastery."
The Deva remained still. "No. You seek control." The abyss shimmered, reacting to his words, bending like an extension of his will. "But Abyssal Flow is not meant to be controlled. It is meant to be shaped."
Behind Kael, Alyss observed in silence. She had guided him as far as she could, but this—this trial was beyond her.
Kael clenched his fists. "Then teach me."
The Deva shifted, their forms flickering between states of existence. One stepped forward—his presence felt different from the others. He was neither fully refined nor entirely formless. His Abyssal energy was unsteady, flawed, yet undeniably powerful.
He locked eyes with Kael.
"You're impatient," the figure said.
Kael narrowed his gaze. "And you're wasting time."
The Deva laughed—an echoing sound that wasn't entirely real, distorted as if woven into the Abyss itself. He stepped closer, his Abyssal presence pressing against Kael's own, testing.
Rhyse Il'Valar.
"You think power is something you claim," Rhyse murmured, tilting his head. "But the Abyss doesn't gift strength to those who demand it. It gifts strength to those who can carry it without losing themselves."
Kael didn't react—not immediately. But something about Rhyse's presence unsettled him. Not in fear. Not in hostility. But in recognition.
This wasn't just some trial.
This was a test of who he was meant to become.
Rhyse's Abyssal Flow flickered, and without warning, the world shifted.
Kael barely had time to register the change before the ground beneath him fractured—the ruins dissolved, replaced by an endless abyss, swirling with shifting currents of unstable energy. It wasn't teleportation. It wasn't illusion. It was something far worse.
He had been pulled into a Flow Realm, a space where Abyssal energy dictated the rules.
Rhyse raised his hand, and the currents obeyed him instantly, forming spiraling constructs of compressed energy.
"Survive," Rhyse said simply.
And then the Abyss struck.
Kael twisted instinctively, raising his Void Anchor as energy surged toward him. The first wave collapsed space itself, the sheer density threatening to crush his defenses.
He had seconds—less than seconds—to react.
His mind sharpened. He didn't resist. Instead, he let the Flow bend around him, shifting his presence, adjusting his stance mid-motion. The energy tore past him, missing by mere inches.
Rhyse smiled. "You adapt fast. But not fast enough."
The second strike came—Echo Fracture, multiple layered attacks manifesting from different angles afterimages of himself launching simultaneous blows.
Kael moved. His Void Anchor flexed, his Flow harmonizing, forming a barrier mid-step. The first afterimage vanished on impact, but the second and third were already closing in.
His Abyssal instincts pulsed—he had to shift.
With a sudden twist, Kael activated Tidal Collapse, compressing the Flow beneath his feet, launching himself upward. The abyss itself adjusted, twisting in response—but instead of resisting, Kael used the currents to propel himself forward, breaking through Rhyse's layered attack.
For the first time, Rhyse frowned.
Kael landed, the Abyss flickering around him. His breathing was steady, his heart calm.
Rhyse studied him for a long moment. Then, he grinned.
"You might survive this."
Kael wiped the sweat from his brow, exhaling. He wasn't sure whether that was an insult or a compliment.
But deep within, beyond the battle, beyond the trial—he felt it.
Something inside him was changing.
The Abyss was watching.
And it wasn't done with him yet